Report: Tottenham have first option on Romanian attacker Gabriel Iancu; made agreement during Chiriches signing

Tottenham have an agreement for the first option to sign Gabriel Iancu of Steaua Bucharest, ProSport reports.

The Romanian media outlet claims that Spurs had been scouting Iancu for a few months prior to signing Vlad Chiriches from Steaua, and as part of that deal to sign the defender, a first option for Iancu was agreed.

The report claims Spurs were obliged to pay £1.2 million (€1.5m) for this first option agreement. It is then stated that this value was paid over the course of two years, sent in five separate instalments.

Should a deal be agreed to sign Iancu permanently, the report claims that Spurs will have to pay a fee of roughly £11.6 million (€15m) - a fee which the report claims is very surprising.

There are no indications in the report that Spurs are yet ready to move for Iancu on a permanent deal.

Who is Gabriel Iancu?

Iancu is a 21-year-old Romanian youth international, who currently plays for Turkish club Karabukspor on loan from Steaua.

An attacking player, he is most naturally a second striker, although he can play upfront or in any of the three attacking positions behind the striker as well.

Ian has played 16 games for Steaua, scoring 16 goals and registering three assists, and in his loan spell with Karabukspor, he has managed two goals in seven games.

Considering his relative lack of development in the last few years, it seems unlikely that Spurs will look to activate their first option for Iancu any time soon.

Billy Hawkins

Billy is a freelance writer who contributes to various sites concerning football. Known to possess an obsession with statistics, Eastern European club sides, and Victorian football, he focuses upon the untapped potential of the Football League in the belief it is more enjoyable than the Premier League.